28 Lucrative Freelance Services to Offer to Make Money Online

Last Updated on October 8, 2022 by Rebecca Lake

Looking for a way to earn extra income in your spare time? Offering freelance services can be one of the best ways to make money online from home.

There are an estimated 59 million freelancers in the U.S., according to Upwork. The freelance workforce includes stay-at-home moms, single parents, students, retirees and people working full-time jobs who want to make extra money on the side.

Freelancing can be extremely flexible and very profitable. Earning an income as a freelancer starts with assessing what money-making skills you already have.

If you’re interested in how to make money online as a freelancer, you might have questions like:

What are freelance services?
How to get started as a freelancer
Which freelance services pay the most money

Today, we’re taking a closer look at everything you need to know to start making money with freelance services.

LIKE FREE MONEY?

Here are some of my go-to apps for earning extra cash!

Survey Junkie. Earn up to $50 per survey just for sharing your opinions.

Swagbucks. Make money by playing games and watching videos. Join for free and get a $10 bonus when you sign up!

InboxDollars. Take surveys and get paid, no special skills or experience required!

Rakuten. Earn up to 40% cash back at hundreds of retailers, online or in stores. And get $30 for each person you refer, along with a $10 sign up bonus!

CashApp. Need a simple app for sending and receiving money? Get $5 free when you use code ‘VZXRXZN’ to join CashApp.

What Are Freelance Services?

Before we dig into which freelance services to offer, let’s talk about what freelancing is for a minute.

Freelancing means that you work for yourself and you hire your skills out to other people or businesses for money.

As a freelancer, you’re an independent contractor. That means you’re not an employee of the company or client you’re working for.

That’s important to know because unlike employees, freelancers don’t get health insurance benefits or a 401(k).

But as a freelancer, you do get some things that are even better like:

Flexibility in how you plan your schedule
Practically unlimited earning potential
A chance to do work you enjoy that’s creative
An opportunity to work at home

Those benefits make freelancing a great side hustle idea for women, moms, students, retirees or anyone who wants to make money outside of the traditional 9 to 5 job mold.

What skills do freelancers need?

Being a freelancer takes certain skills just like any other job. And the great thing about freelancing is that you can choose the kind of work that matches your skillset.

So for example, some of the skills you need to succeed as a freelancer include:

Creative thinking
Good written and oral communication skills
A strong grasp of English if you’re working with English-speaking clients
Excellent time management skills
An ability to focus and stay on task

Notice I didn’t say anything about a degree or years of experience running a business.

Those are good to have but they’re not must-haves to make money (and lots of it!) with freelance services. I make six figures as a freelancer and while I did go to college, my degree is completely unrelated to writing or journalism.

How can I become a freelancer?

The first step in becoming a freelancer is deciding which freelance services to offer to your clients. Again, the freelancing services you decide to offer should reflect your skills, experience and interests.

Some of the things you can do to get your freelancing career off the ground include:

Getting active on social and letting your followers know that you’re venturing into freelancing
Building up your profile on LinkedIn and highlighting your freelance services
Looking for freelance jobs online
Creating samples of freelance work to show to prospective clients

Finding freelance jobs is usually the hardest part of getting started as a freelancer. The good news is that there are lots of ways you can do it if you want to make money freelancing.

You can try cold emailing people and asking them to consider you for freelance work. That can be a little intimidating if you’re a new freelancer, however.

Freelance job boards can be a little less intimidating, since you can search for freelance gigs from the comfort of your own home. Some of the most reputable freelance and remote work job boards include:

These sites offer a mix of freelance jobs. If you’re specifically interested in getting paid to write, they’re a gold mine for finding writing gigs.

How to Choose Which Freelance Services to Offer

When it comes to choosing which freelance services to offer, there are three rules to follow:

Pick something you’re good at (or can get good at over time)
Choose something that will MAKE MONEY!
Offer services that work with your schedule

When I was a brand-new stay at home mom looking for ways to make money online, I had no idea how to get started with freelancing. So I just experimented with different freelance services to see what worked.

I spent some time as a virtual assistant before I locked in on what I was best at: freelance writing. And since then, I’ve branched out into blogging.

(And if that’s something you’re interested in, I have an easy-to-follow tutorial on how to start a blog.)

It’s possible to make money with a blog (and a lot of it if you’re able to grow your audience). But blogging is a long game and for most bloggers, it takes time for money to start rolling in consistently.

Freelancing, on the other hand, can put cash in your pocket much faster.

So, are you ready to see what’s on the list of freelance services to offer? Let’s dive in!

28 Lucrative Freelance Services to Offer to Make Money

As you go through each of these freelance services, make note of anything that seems interesting to you and everything you have experience with. You can use your notes to narrow down the list of services to offer once you start freelancing.

1. Freelance writing

Freelance writing is one of the best side hustles for moms or anyone who has a love of writing and decent writing skills. Here’s what’s great about freelance writing:

Being a freelance writer doesn’t require a big investment. You can start an online business or hustle with a laptop and an internet connection.
You can make a lot of money from freelance writing if you establish yourself as an expert in your niche.
You don’t need a degree or fancy education to get started. Solid writing skills and determination can take you far.

So what kind of freelance writing services can you offer? The list of options includes:

Blog writing
Content writing
Copywriting
Ghostwriting
Grant writing
Resume writing

If you’re interested in learning more about freelance writing, you can sign up for this free 6-day email course to learn the basics.

2. Virtual assistant services

Virtual assistants can do a little of everything but their main job is to make life easier for the clients they work with.

If you’re organized and great at time management, being a VA could be a great fit. And like freelance writing, you can niche down and specialize in the kind of freelance services you offer.

For example, you could be a Pinterest VA and manage Pinterest accounts for bloggers. Or you could be a real estate VA, helping real estate agents run their businesses.

Some VAs take a more general approach and work with lots of different clients. It’s really up to you which route you take.

3. Pinterest template design

Pinterest is hugely important for many bloggers and business owners. It’s part search engine, part social media platform and it can be a significant source of traffic if you’re able to create eye-catching pins.

One option you have for offering freelance services if you’re skilled at design is creating and selling pin templates. These are reusable templates that you sell to bloggers, who then customize them to promote their Pinterest accounts.

Pin templates are great because they look amazing most of the time and I don’t have to spend hours and hours trying to make them.

The best part about this kind of freelancing business is that you don’t need a lot of money to get it going.

You can start a blog, design your pin templates using a graphic design tool like Canva, then sell them on your site. That’s something Carly of Mommy On Purpose does. And if you don’t know a thing about designing great pins, be sure to check out her Pinteresting Strategies course.

4. Proofreading

A freelance proofreader’s job is to pick out the grammar errors, misspelled words and typos in written documents. You might consider offering freelance services as a proofreader if you’d like to get paid to read, rather than write.

So what will you need to build your freelance services to get proofreading jobs?

You’ll need to be detail-oriented. And obviously, you need to know the basic rules of writing.

Also, you’ll need to decide whether you want to be a general proofreader or specialize in a niche. General proofreaders can work with a wider client base but specializing could unlock higher-paying gigs.

If you’re interested in learning more, Caitlin Pyle is the authority on freelance proofreading. She’s got a free webinar you can check out on how to get started making money as a freelance proofreader!

Click below to sign up for the free general proofreading webinar!

5. Copyediting

Editing is similar to proofreading but there’s a little more to it. Rather than simply looking for spelling or grammar errors, editors are looking at the content as a whole to make sure that it’s well-written and makes sense.

As a freelance editor, you don’t necessarily need to have experience as a writer but it can help. And the process for becoming a freelance editor is similar to what’s involved in writing:

Choose a niche and the kind of editing services you want to offer.
Establish your social media presence and start building authority as an expert.
Set up a website or start a blog that highlights your skills and experience.
Network with other freelance editors and writers.
Apply to gigs on job boards and through cold pitching.

If you’ve never done any editing before, you might consider trying your hand at freelance writing first to get familiar with the basics. You can then expand your freelance services to include editing as you master the ins and outs of creating amazing content.

6. Photography

Photography skills can easily translate to a steady income if you’re able to sell your photos to interested buyers.

For example, you could try selling stock photos. These sites are great examples of people who have built on line businesses around selling stock photography:

Jasmine at She Bold Stock
Kayla at Ivory Mix
Rachel at Haute Stock

Bloggers and business owners will pay good money for stock photos to use in their blog graphics, pin graphics and social media. And again, there doesn’t have to be a lot of startup costs involved.

You need a good camera, obviously, and a blog or website to showcase your portfolio. And when you’re ready to sell your photos, you can try these sites to start making money:

Shutterstock
Foap
SmugMug
iStockPhoto
Etsy

7. Logo design

Logo design also falls under the freelance services umbrella. Businesses, bloggers and website owners who need a beautifully designed logo will often hire freelancers to create them.

If you’ve got access to an editing tool (like Canva, Photoshop or PicMonkey) you can start designing logos for bloggers, freelancers and other online business owners.

You don’t need a blog or website to sell your services to start; you can do that through a freelance platform like Fiverr or Upwork. Another place to find work as a freelance logo designer is in Facebook groups for bloggers.

It’s definitely worth putting on your shortlist of potential freelance services if you’re interested in doing something design-focused.

8. Translation services

If you know a foreign language or two, that’s a skill you could put to work as a freelancer.

Translators can take anything from textbooks and technical documents to sales brochures and website copy. And you can do all of it from home.

Platforms like Gengo connect translators with well-known brands like Etsy, YouTube and Airbnb. The price you earn per word for translating gigs increases the more proficient you are in a particular language.

Like freelance writing or editing, you can specialize in translating certain types of documents or working with certain types of clients. And since it’s a highly specialized, in-demand skill there’s certainly money-making potential.

If you want to learn more about being a freelancer translator, check out this guide from Zippia.

9. Tutoring

Tutoring has become a big business online. So how is tutoring a freelance service?

When you sign up for an online tutoring website, you’re an independent contractor, not an employee. The work is flexible and you’re not getting a regular paycheck. Instead, you’re paid based on how often you offer tutoring services.

Here are a few tutoring platforms to get you started:

Make sure you check out the guidelines for working through these platforms, as some may require a bachelor’s degree or a background check. And take time to compare what tutors in your niche charge so you know where to set your rates.

10. Blog and social media management

Blogging is exceptionally time-intensive because there’s just so much to do.

You have to write blog posts, create pin images, schedule posts and respond to comments. Then you have to promote your posts on social media and send things to your email list. It’s a lot.

That’s why blog and social media managers exist. They take care of all the behind-the-scenes stuff so bloggers can focus on creating content and building their brand.

If you’re intrigued by blogging but aren’t ready to start a blog of your own, blog and social media management could be a great fit for offering freelance services.

11. Video editing

Video editing is more than just cutting and pasting sections of a video together; you also need to be able to tell a story for the brand you’re working with.

In other words, it’s a freelance service that relies on creativity. But it can pay well if you’re the creative type.

According to GoDaddy, the average freelance editor makes $200 a day. That’s a great income from home if you’re interested in making an extra $1000 a week or more.

ProductionHUB has a great post on how to get started with freelance editing. It covers all the basics of how to find clients and manage the business side of freelancing.

12. Facebook ads management

Facebook ads are another selling tool bloggers and brands use to get eyes on their products. A Facebook ads manager helps to create campaigns that are designed to drive conversions.

Maybe you have a background in marketing or sales, or maybe you’re just good at convincing people to buy products you use and love. If so, you could add Facebook marketing to your freelance skillset.

Don’t know where to start? Here’s a great interview with a Facebook ads manager that covers all the basics.

13. Coaching and consulting

As freelance services go, coaching and consulting can cover a whole lot of things. Coaching, consulting, mentoring — whatever you decide to call it — means helping people with problems or challenges.

The kind of coaching or consulting services you offer depends on your background, what you’re skilled at and what you’re passionate about.

Here are some ideas for coaching and consulting services moms can offer as freelancers:

Blogging coach
Etsy shop consultant
Productivity coach
Budgeting coach
Pinterest consultant
Career coach
Life coach
Homeschool consultant
Relationship coach

You don’t need any kind of special degree or training to be a coach or consultant. But you do need to be an expert in the topic you’re coaching.

Starting a blog is one way to gain expert status. It can also help you build an audience of people who need your services.

14. SEO strategy and consulting

SEO or search engine optimization is huge for bloggers and freelance writers. It’s what helps your writing to get noticed through search engines so people can find your blog or website. And if Google can’t find you then you may as well not even exist.

But it’s more than just plugging in keywords. SEO strategy goes a lot deeper than that.

It’s about finding the right keywords to help drive traffic and make a piece of content stand out from the competition.

Freelance SEO strategists make nearly $60,000 a year on average; the really good ones make over $100,000 annually.

That’s crazy, right?

If you’re looking for a solid resource on SEO freelancing, take a look at this guide from Location Rebel.

15. WordPress theme design

WordPress is what many bloggers build their websites on. And part of running a successful blog means having a theme that draws in your readers and keeps them coming back.

WordPress developers create and sell themes and their freelance services can also include website design. At the bottom, WordPress developers typically make around $50 an hour, although some make a lot more.

This type of freelance gig is skill-intensive. You’ll need to know how to write HTML code and have an eye for graphic design.

But if you can master the basics, this is a highly-valued service you can offer from home.

16. Transcription services

Freelance transcriptionists get paid to transcribe digital files into written form. This is one of the more in-demand freelance services, especially if you’re able to specialize in a sought-after niche.

You have to be good at typing and you’ll need a quiet place to get your work done. So this one could be more challenging if you have younger kids at home. But the money-making potential is amazing.

Some of the niches you can choose from include legal, corporate, medical and finance transcription. There are plenty of online transcription jobs for beginners that cover all of these areas.

Want to get paid to type?

Learn how to become an online transcriptionist in this free mini-course!

enroll now!

17. Bookkeeping

Are you good with numbers? Do you manage your family finances?

If you said yes to either one, then you might consider hiring yourself out as a freelance bookkeeper.

You could make $60 an hour or more keeping the books for small businesses. And you don’t need to be a certified public accountant either.

You do need to know the basics of bookkeeping and how to use the most popular accounting software programs, like QuickBooks. And you’ll need a computer and internet to start finding clients.

Once you’re ready to look for paid bookkeeping gigs, you can start by checking out freelance job boards.

And you can learn more about how to build a profitable bookkeeping business with these free classes from Bookkeepers.com. They offer a great introduction to what online bookkeeping involves.

18. Website and app testing

One of the most important steps in launching a new blog or app is getting feedback on it. Freelance website and app testers help individuals and companies weed out any bugs or glitches in a site or app before it officially goes live.

Compared to other freelance services, website and app testing may not take as much of your time. If you’re working through a site like Tester Work or UserTesting.com you can more or less set your schedule.

That’s awesome if you’re a busy mom and you want to squeeze making money into your daily routine!

19. Data entry

Data entry jobs require strong typing skills so if you know your way around a keyboard, you could be set.

Industries and companies that hire freelance data entry specialists include medical offices, accounting offices and government agencies. Some freelance data entry gigs may require a college degree but others are open to beginners.

Aside from typing, you’ll also need to know your stuff when it comes to word processing software and spreadsheets. Plus, you’ll need to be organized and good at keeping track of small details.

20. Voiceover work

Voice-over work is something you can do from home if you’ve got a flair for acting and an interesting voice.

You need a good computer and a quality microphone but if you have those things, you can start auditioning for voice-over work online.

Similar to transcription, this is one of those freelance services that require a quiet place to work.

But if your kids are in school, you could clean up doing voice-over work for commercials, TV shows, YouTube videos — you name it!

21. Brand strategy and consulting

Branding is huge for bloggers and freelancers of all kinds.

With blogging, your brand is what sets you apart and makes you recognizable. It’s how your color schemes, logo, fonts, writing style all pull together to create a memorable and cohesive picture of who you are.

Branding strategists help bloggers and website owners create and shape their brands.

They can help with things like pin design or graphic design for products, marketing and promotion, blog and social media content. A brand strategist has to be able to wear a lot of different hats but that might appeal to you if you like doing a variety of different work.

22. Online research

Freelance researchers get paid to spend their time researching specific topics.

The kinds of tasks you can do as a freelance researcher include:

Compiling statistics
Researching trends
Doing market research for brands
Reviewing products and/or services

If you’re trying to get a freelance research business off the ground, you can find gigs through freelance job boards. Sites like Wonder also pay people for their research skills.

Just make sure you’re setting your rates so they reflect the amount of time you’re putting in.

23. Project management

Freelance project managers help keep bloggers and business owners on track when there’s a major project in the works.

You have to be awesome at time management and organization to make this kind of gig work. And it’s also helpful to know how to use different project management platforms, like Asana and Trello.

But if you can nail down your skills, you can make serious money as a freelance project manager.

It’s possible to make over $100,000 a year, depending on how much time you can put into helping with project management.

If you’re interested in freelancing from home, definitely put this one on your to-think-about list!

24. Email marketing

Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools around. And if you’re good at writing persuasively, you could make money freelancing as an email marketer.

This type of freelancing job involves creating email campaigns, setting up funnels, writing email copy and scheduling campaigns.

Email marketing or email management could be a great freelance service to offer if you’re highly organized and know how to write a sales email that converts.

25. Freelance blogging

I mentioned freelance writing as a lucrative freelance service to offer but freelance blogging is a little different.

As a freelance blogger, you get paid to write posts for someone else’s blog.

This is a big part of how I make money as a freelancer. I write for blogs and websites like Forbes, CreditCards.com and Investopedia.

If you’re not sure how to start freelance blogging, setting up a blog of your own can be great practice.

You can use your blog to develop your voice and writing style and create some killer writing clips to win over prospective clients.

26. Pinterest management

Pinterest management takes Pinterest template design one step further.

As a freelance Pinterest manager, you might be responsible for:

Creating pin designs
Scheduling pins with a tool like Tailwind
Setting up Pinterest ad campaigns
Managing and analyzing Pinterest analytics

Pinterest managers can easily make $100,000 a year or more working from home. So if you’re skilled at Pinterest, this is definitely one of the best-paying freelance service ideas.

A course like Pinterest VA could be a worthwhile investment if you’d like to learn the basics of Pinterest management.

27. Podcast editing

Podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular way for businesses and brands to build an audience.

If you know the ins and outs of what makes for a great podcast, you could try freelancing as a podcast editor.

This course can help you polish your podcast editing skills so you can start making money.

28. Photo editing

In addition to getting paid to take stock photos, you could also make money as a freelancer by editing them.

Knowledge of a photo editing tool like Lightroom, PhotoShop or Canva is good to have. But if you’re a pro at cropping or background removals then you could have an easy way to make money on your hands.

Learn more about the basics of photo editing and how to create a great image.

29. Email management

Email management is different from email marketing. Instead of creating email campaigns, email managers get paid to declutter their clients’ inbox.

Becoming an email manager might fall under the VA freelance services umbrella if you’re working as a virtual assistant. But it’s also something you could offer as a stand-alone service.

You might be surprised at how willing business owners and bloggers are to pay for someone to help them maintain zero inbox. And the great thing about this type of freelance service is that you can do it remotely, with minimal talking required.

30. Ebook writer

Writing and selling ebooks is a legitimate way to make money with freelance services. You can write and sell ebooks under your own name or byline, or ghost write them on behalf of your clients.

If you decide to go the self-published route, there are numerous places you can sell your ebooks online, even if you don’t have your own website. For example, you can upload and publish ebooks through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). You can use a service like Selz or Lulu to put your ebooks out into the world.

31. Freelance artist/illustrator

If you love to draw or create digital art, you could make money as a freelance artist or illustrator.

You might get paid to illustrate books or pamphlets, for example. Or you could start your own blog and use it to showcase your original artwork.

Angela Vaz of Stray Curls is a great example of how to make a real living as a freelance comic artist. She offers some great tips for finding clients to kickstart your freelance art business.

Final thoughts on how to make money with freelance services

Freelancing is one of the best ways to make money, in addition to you a full-time job or in place of one. There are so many different options for offering services as a freelancer and there’s bound to be something on this list that speaks to your skills and experience. It may take some trial and error to find your groove but freelancing is definitely something to consider if you’d like to find a flexible way to make money on your own terms.

Need more money tips? Read these posts next:

Get Your Budget on Track

Grab these free printable budget templates to take control of your money!

Give them to me!